Market diversification, strengthening small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and incorporating technology into production chains will set the agenda for the 32nd Mexican Foreign Trade Congress , which the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (Comce) will hold from October 27 to 29 in Monterrey, Nuevo León, with Italy as the guest country.
Under the slogan “Made in Mexico, Quality and Global Vision” , the meeting will take place in a scenario marked by the review of the Treaty between Mexico, the United States and Canada (USMCA), the modernization of the Global Agreement between Mexico and the European Union and the need to reduce the concentration of Mexican exports in the US market.
During the presentation of the Congress, Javier Cendejas, president of COMCE Northeast , explained that Monterrey was chosen due to the region’s industrial, business, and export strength. Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas, and Durango accounted for 46% of national exports during the first quarter of 2026, while 52% of merchandise trade between Mexico and the United States is facilitated by the border infrastructure linked to the northeast of the country.
Added to this is Nuevo León’s performance in attracting foreign direct investment, ranking second nationally during the first half of 2026 with $3.712 billion . However, Cendejas maintained that the challenge is not limited to retaining these flows, but rather to transforming the reorganization of global supply chains into an opportunity to develop domestic suppliers, incorporate technology, and prepare the talent that industries will demand.
Italy’s participation will seek to add to this discussion the experience of an economy that has built much of its export presence through networks of small and medium-sized enterprises. Lorenzo Vianello, president of the Mexico-Italy Bilateral Business Committee of the Mexican Business Council for Foreign Trade, Investment and Technology (COMCE) , pointed out that Italy is Mexico’s second-largest trading partner within the European Union, while Mexico holds the same position for Italy in the Americas, second only to the United States.
Although the bilateral balance favors Italy, Vianello explained that a significant proportion of its sales to Mexico corresponds to machinery and technology destined for industry and infrastructure, components that contribute to increasing the productive capacity of companies installed in Mexican territory.
“We always say that it is a very positive and virtuous relationship, because what Italy sells to Mexico is mostly technology and machinery for industry and infrastructure, which allows Mexico to become more competitive in its exports,” he stated.
The executive added that during the first six months of 2026, Mexican exports to Italy increased by nearly 30% compared to the same period of the previous year, while Italian shipments to Mexico grew by around 9%. Investment from Italy is concentrated primarily in Nuevo León and the Bajío region, with a presence in industries such as steel, infrastructure, automotive, pharmaceuticals, and automation.
Valentina Valente, head of the Economic and Commercial Office at the Italian Embassy in Mexico , highlighted that Mexico is the main destination for Italian exports to Latin America, accounting for a third of the country’s sales to the region. This position led the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to include it among its priority markets for export promotion.
The official believes the Modernized Global Agreement between Mexico and the European Union can expand trade, as it provides for the elimination of tariffs on nearly 99% of products traded between the two parties. The new framework opens opportunities for Mexico to deepen its economic integration with Europe and for Mexican companies to find an additional path to internationalization.
Given this scenario, Juan Pablo Castañón, vice president of COMCE, stated that the Italian experience in developing SMEs and value chains will be one of the main points of reference at the Congress. The goal, he said, is to provide Mexican companies with the knowledge, financing, and infrastructure they need to participate in international trade.
“Millions of small business owners in the country aspire to have the facilities, access, financing, knowledge, and to join value chains so they can export to the world,” said Castañón, who added that the meeting will also commemorate the 75th anniversary of Comce and expects to bring together between 750 and 1,000 attendees.
Betsabé Rocha, Secretary of Economy for Nuevo León, warned that despite Mexico’s extensive network of trade agreements, the country remains highly dependent on a single economy . In this context, she argued that the geopolitical tensions of recent years reinforce the need to explore other markets and prepare SMEs to take advantage of existing trade agreements.
“We are the country with the most trade agreements in the world, and yet we still depend heavily on one economy. So we need to diversify,” he said.
Rocha explained that many companies are already exporting without sufficient guidance on how to utilize available tariff preferences. Therefore, the Nuevo León government is working with the Northeast Business Council for Foreign Trade (Comce Noreste) on a project to identify and support SMEs with export potential . She also emphasized that technologies such as artificial intelligence can reduce the time and costs of market research and improve decision-making.
The official also linked external competitiveness to security, regulation, and logistical capacity. She pointed out that Nuevo León has 910 economic sectors and the lowest rate of informal employment in the country, in addition to holding a prominent position in economic complexity and innovation—conditions that have allowed it to mitigate the adverse cycles of specific industries.
Lourdes Arana Flores, Director of Business Services and Institutional Relations at COMCE, explained that the program will cover artificial intelligence, logistics, security, financing, e-commerce, investment, and outlook for the end of 2026 and the beginning of 2027. Italy will have a business pavilion to showcase technological solutions, services, and investments with a presence or interest in Mexico.
The agenda will include conferences, workshops, B2B meetings, and technical visits to 17 companies . The business meetings will be specifically designed to connect small and medium-sized suppliers with larger companies, facilitating their integration into supply chains. For reference, the previous edition, held in Querétaro, brought together approximately 750 attendees, 55 exhibitors, 35 panelists, and representatives from 18 countries and 21 Mexican states, in addition to generating 500 business meetings.
Susana Duque, general director of Comce, indicated that the organization will take advantage of its six international sections, 60 bilateral business committees and 26 national representations to bring companies closer to export , diversification and investment opportunities in different markets.
Thus, Congress will seek to move beyond the discussion on the volume of foreign trade to focus on one of its pending structural issues: expanding the base of Mexican companies capable of exporting , integrating into global chains, and reducing their vulnerability to trade, regulatory, and geopolitical changes.
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